History of Korea: A Captivating Guide to Korean History, Including Events Such as the Mongol Invasions, the Split into North and South, and the Korean War

By Captivating History

If you want to discover the captivating history of Korea, then keep reading...

The Korean Peninsula today is divided into two, but there was a time when this peninsula was divided into many states. Over the course of time, and besieged by expansive transient dynasties outside of this modest piece of land, many clans and tribes overran their lands. Of all those malicious and greedy potential overlords, none managed to prevail.

The soil is rich with the blood of the people who made Korea happen, and it is the Korean people who rose victorious among the maelstrom of dead empires led by hated tyrants and wars fought by people in lands far beyond their own. The Koreans are survivors, known for their persistence and courage.

In History of Korea: A Captivating Guide to Korean History, Including Events Such as the Mongol Invasions, the Split into North and South, and the Korean War, you will discover topics such as

• Land of the Bear
• The Dragon of the East Sea
• Dynasties Rise and Fall
• The Joseon Dynasty of Goryeo
• Foreign Invasions
• Merchants, Farmers, and Foreigners
• From Independence to Annexation
• Korea at War
• North Korea
• South Korea
• And much, much more!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Captivating History
• Release date: Nov 7, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223711865

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Introduction

The Korean Peninsula today is divided into two, but there was a time when this peninsula was divided into many states. Over the course of time, and besieged by expansive transient dynasties outside of this modest piece of land, many clans and tribes overran its regions. Of all those malicious and greedy potential overlords, none managed to prevail. The soil is rich with the blood of the people who made Korea happen, and it is the Korean people who rose victorious among the maelstrom of dead empires led by hated tyrants and wars fought by people in lands far beyond their own. The Koreans are survivors, known for their persistence and courage.

As Korea had long been seen as a gateway to other countries and the Yellow Sea, it was harassed for years by larger countries who were either on their way to somewhere else, like China, or who wanted a springboard to control the trade and colonization of the archipelagoes, smaller countries, and islands around the Pacific Ocean. The Western countries had interests in Korea, too, in order to curtail the full control of the Pacific to only one country, as well as to open Korea up to trade. As a result of these competing forces, Korea isolated itself during the latter half of the 19th century. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea and ruled it with an iron fist, even to the point of assimilating the unique culture of Korea into its own culture. In other words, they wanted to make it disappear. The Koreans, however, fought long and hard to preserve their individuality as a nation. They eschewed control by other forces, even friendly ones, in order to preserve their unique cultural and political identity.

Even though Korea fought long and hard to remain one individual nation, they were eventually split into two. Western nations have made some overtures toward helping them achieve that unification and see an end to the Korean conflict. However, today, both North and South Korea want to lead that effort and do it their own way. Although Korea was granted its independence after two wars, the Korean people have it in their blood to be one undivided country, and they plan to work laboriously until that can be achieved in a way that is acceptable to both sides.

Chapter 1 – Land of the Bear

The Devil’s Gate

In the cold dark cave of Chertovy Vorota, also known as the Devil’s Gate, in northeastern Russia, lay her skull, long since abandoned by the ravages of Neolithic times from around 5700 BCE. No one knows her name, but she has achieved fame since she left geneticists with a record of the racial and ethnic origin of the hardy Korean people. The first people there fished in the frigid waters of the northern Pacific for salmon, cod, and hake. In addition, they hunted elk and moose. Unlike other primitive people, they were lactose intolerant, so they didn’t milk any of the animals they hunted. Genome researchers also indicate that they raised agricultural products like rice and wheat to offset their high-protein diets. This was due to an influx of Neolithic people from southeastern Asia, where the growing season was longer. Later migrations show that the Han Chinese people from west of the Yellow River emigrated to the region, but there is plentiful evidence that many Chinese came to Korea much earlier (around 9,000 years ago). The Han Chinese were one of the largest ethnic groups in ancient China. They also brought the delightful mandarin orange plants with them for propagating. With the arrival of the agricultural people came the development of the paddy-field, which was a step-wise segmented area flooded with water to foster the growth of rice.

Early people settling there lived in pit-houses consisting of a mud and straw roof over a dug-out pit. Or, as in the case of the woman from Chertovy Vorota, they lived in caves. They cooked their rice and grains in cups and bowls made of clay decorated with comb-patterns. This type of pottery originated during the Mumun period, which lasted from 1500 to 300 BCE. Korea is actually the only place in the world where this unique style can be found.

Shellfish was originally plentiful along the coasts, but archeologists are quick to point out the fact that the supply of shellfish diminished because of overexploitation and population growth. They theorized this happened during the Late Mumun period (550 to 300 BCE).

The lack of shellfish resulted in the growth of farming activity. Farming was mainly conducted in southern Korea, while those who lived in the northern area of the peninsula favored meat and fish. To eat their food, as well as to make weapons, Koreans fashioned axes, knives, and cooking utensils out of bronze, which is made from heating copper and tin. These molten metals were then poured into clay molds.

Songguk-ri

Songguk-ri is an archeological site that contains only whispers about the civilization that lived in the central-western region of South Korea in the Middle and Late Mumun period (c. 850 to 300 BCE). Because of the arrangement of the pit-houses and the existence of large walls at Songguk-ri, it has been concluded that there were divisions among the tribes that lived there. Greenstones (primarily jade) and intricately designed bronze daggers found at burial sites seem to indicate that there were chiefs, who, along with their families, would have lorded over the rest of the common population.

The existence of the Songguk-ri wall indicates that there were competition and conflict between the various clans. In addition, there was a stratified social structure. As discussed earlier, the Chinese migrated to Korea. Between 475 to 221 BCE, the states of China were at war until the Qin Dynasty took over. Although most of the Korean migrants were from the state of Han, some were not. Those people brought their hostilities with them to Korea, and some of the settlements were burned and subsequently abandoned.

Within the individual clan societies, there is evidence that shows that the elites in the population controlled their subjects through the distribution of arable lands and labor demands. Most likely, the elite people had the subservient classes supply food for them, and they received more than enough to sustain themselves. Indications are that the food for the noble classes and royalty was of a higher quality. Researchers have found the remains of rice cakes and rice wine (cheongju), which would have been considered gourmet food. Because it was primarily an agrarian economy, control of the economy equaled control of the people, and so, the leaders provided incentives for food producers who had larger crop yields.

The other caste that emerged during this period was the one devoted to craft production. Besides household objects and weapons, Koreans produced beads made out of jade. These beads were often used as a sort of currency. Everyone had to pay tribute to the central leadership, and they used beads or barter to do so. The artifacts found of these crafts include mirrors, jewelry, and an assortment of weapons.

Later on, Korean craftsmen manufactured specialized swords. The most notable sword that has been discovered is the Liaoning sword. Artifacts indicate that this type of sword originated in the northern peninsula and then became popular in other regions. Archeologists debate about whether or not it was used as a weapon, although the inscriptions on it would seem to indicate so. The characters are inlaid with gold, and on one side of the sword, it reads in part: Using the sword repels 100 enemy soldiers. It is bestowed to the duke lord.

They Had Heat!

Korean winters are long and cold, especially in the north. To heat their houses, a fire would be built alongside the home in a pit, allowing heat to flow into a short basement under the floorboards. Rocks were fastened to the underside of the floor to help retain heat. There was an outlet on the opposite side of the house for a stove and, beyond that, a flue with a free-standing chimney that funneled the smoke out. The heating system was called ondol, and it would be built when the house was erected.

Since the fire was extinguished at night as a safety measure, the houses cooled and were very cold by late morning. Of course, they were relit, but it took a long time